The answer is in blood
by Kawaii bat
Summary: 2-3 Years after Sephiroth's demise Vincents body undergoes some changes when he becomes more active. What will happen and will Cloud and Tifa's marriage suffer as well ?
1. Default Chapter

MY ANSWER IS IN THE BLOOD  
(This story takes place 2-3 years after they beat Sephiroth)  
  
CHAP. 01   
  
::Hmmm....How long have I been here ?::::  
  
Vincent slowly awakened , the tightness of the coffins was compforting but any other   
person would feel Clostrophobic , but for one who had spent 30 years in it , Vincent had   
grown accostumed to the blank white that was the entirior.   
  
He slowly opened the Coffin lid checking is surroundings. He looked at an electronic   
device on the side of the big wooden case.  
  
Vincent forced himself fully awake and proseeded to climb the   
spiraling stairs up to the main hall.  
  
A week ago Cloud had sent a letter addressing the AVALANCHE group to meet neer the   
outskirts of Gongaga. Vincent had reseeved the letter a bit earlier.The ex-Soldier knew that Vincent slept in his usual place only  
rising from his sleep every 3 or 4 days or so to be ready if he where called and to make sure if Gaia (His Golden Chocobo) had  
had been fed properly.   
He also sold particular objects to pay for the Chocobo's Greens.  
  
He took the task of Making coffee so that his drowziness would pass. It took him more   
and more time to awaken *Especially* during day time. After having drank his coffee he   
openened the door of the mansion and instintly closed it again and covered his eyes.  
  
He curse to himself. The light had blinded him for a brief moment. He un-raped   
some of the stringed band of the material off his head and loosened it so that it coovered   
his eyes slightly. He then peered out of the mansion once again. First he saw only white   
and as he continued to focus he could see the gates of the manor. Sighing he walked towards  
the Chocobos stables.  
  
***  
"I bet he's still Sleepin in dat damn coffin of his ! " Barret complained waiting for Vincent  
to show up.  
  
"Give the man a brake Barret he's had lots on his mind and a whole bunch of worries that follows him arround" Nanaki spoke  
outload still resting his head on one of the pillows   
placed for him on the ground.   
  
"Fooo!" Yuffi protested "I could have been Materia knapping just right now , but instead  
I get caught up waiting for that freeky guy." Yuffi threw herself down on the couch   
crossing her legs and making thems move up and down impatiently.  
All of the AVALANCHE Team had gathered except one and all where silently waiting   
when the door knocked.  
  
It Slightly oppened " I apologies that I have kept you all waiting. May I come in" He asked,   
Tifa nodded. He seated himself on one of the many fauteuilles just besides The Big Cat   
wich was Nanaki. The other Cat , wich was seeted on a moogle was standing on the   
opposite side facing the Crimson eyed man. He was not staying still , showing signs of something bothering him.  
  
"Something tell's me you had difficulty doing something today. Am I right ?"  
  
Vincent did not reply immediatly.  
"I had trouble waking up after 5 days of rest. How do you know ?"  
Vincent lifted his head to look at the big stuffed animal.  
  
"Hey ! I may be a guy controling a stuffed animal but I'm not blind.[...] Well I really   
saw it through the optic sensors wich are conected through a..  
  
"Would you stop that teckno crap talk , let's start the meeting ! " interupted the   
Captain. Cid was in his usualy pissed off attitude Impatiently waiting for the tall blond   
man to start the discution.  
  
"Um oh yaa.." He started , taking seat near Tifa " I..We called on this meeting to tell   
you guys something special. " He held Tifa's hand.   
" Me and Tifa... Well ...were getting married !" He smiled , while everybody save one started congradulating thems.  
  
"Hey Why'd you send uss a letter a week ago. Did you know this at that time ?"  
Yuffi started just not able to keep herself sat down.  
  
Cloud and Tifa looked at each other and Tifa smiled while Cloud looked at the others.  
Vincent had a hint of interest. The look in Cloud's eyes it reminded him of...  
  
"Actually that's the second good news..Tifa is ...well ... We're expecting a baby!   
She's 2 months pregnant!"   
Cloud smiled Back at Tifa while the others kept the congradulations comming.  
  
Vincent sat back in his chair pressing his back furmly on the couch. He had been right.   
The look was the same. It had reminded him so much of...Lucrecia...She had taken a   
pregnancy test and..well you can imagine the rest. Vincent knew Cloud had *It* coming...  
  
"That's why I've gathered you here. You're all invited to the weading.   
It's going to be set in a couple of weeks. I'd wager it would be the 21st of this month.  
I also wanted to talk to Barret about something." While the croud started to calm down   
Nanaki was aware of the troubled Man with Crimson eyes. He had looked withdrawn   
from the beginning.  
  
The day past quickly. The group had talked about many things. What had they done  
since the last time they had a meeting , new friends jobs and more of such. when   
someone had asked Vincent the others fell silent to liscend. It made Vincent acward.   
He had not done anything new since last year. He had only slept the whole time and   
the stairs from the others where embarassing.  
  
"I...I have not done anything new ." Vincent stoped talking. The red fured cat tried to  
change the subject to aleviate his friend's disstress but someone else talked.  
  
"Ha ! I knew it you've gone back to sleep in that coffin of yours havin'cha !" Barret   
mocked. The only persons who knew and respected that choice had been Cloud and   
Nanaki and they where the only persons he trusted thems with that knowledge.  
He had gone past the other meeting with no problems , no one had asked him at that time.  
  
Everyone was waiting for an answer.  
  
"Yes... I have gone back and yes I do continue to sleep in that coffin." Vincent bluntly  
answered without a hint of contempt. No one had said anything and he continued with  
the same town of voice and indifference.  
  
"I have nothing else to do now that the world is at peace and ShinRa is now out of   
buisness. Do you have any Ideas of why I should get a job or continue to live ? I bear withing me the vestige of Jenova , and with  
this d.n.a Another Sephiroth could be created. Even I might become like him. It would save the world some trouble by not being  
phsyicilly active , and so the jenova cells within me will not awaken."  
Vincent simply stood up and left. The others stayed in while Tifa looked angrely at  
Barret who shruged. Nanaki had stood up as well on his fours and gone to talk to Vincent.   
Tifa also did the same. The rest of the group didn't know what to do. Cloud started   
another conversation. He knew that between the old and wize Nanaki and the bright and optimistic Tifa. One of them would cheer  
up the morose man .   
Cloud asked the *Something* To Barret.  
  
***  
"Vincent !" Nanaki exclaimed as the red and black clad man startedto climb on the Golden Chocobo's saddle.  
"I know somethings bothering you Vincent I could sence it the minute you came.   
What is wrong ?" Vincent stoped and faced the cat.   
  
He stood there for some time thinking about his responce. It hadn't occured to him , but   
, while he thought about it , he had noticed differences in his awakened state more and more often. He looked down at Nanaki.  
The wize Taby (or whatver he is suposed to be)  
had always understood him in a way and he confined in him the greatest trust.   
His vast knowledge of biologie and other sciences had also proven their worth at times.  
  
"I..I have more troubledoing everyday things." Saying this Nanaki then realized that Vincent was squinting and put up his hand  
over his eyes. Tifa had arrived.  
  
"I'm sorry about that Vincent. I only wanted good out of all of this , it was only to invite   
you to our weading. I...Cloud and I...We should have just invited you by letter."   
Tifa was trying to find the words but Vincent cut her to save her from more ambarassment.  
  
"It is not your fault ,we both did not know that Barret would ask ." Vincent mounted Gaia.  
"If it is all right with you RedXIII I would like to talk more about this subject in private."   
He looked at Tifa then at the big Cat.  
  
"All right. Would it be proper for you to meet me at Cosmo canyon ?   
Any time would be fine." Nanaki replied while Vincent directed his Chocobo to the North  
  
"I will meet you in 4 days at night. Thank you for you time." Vincent Started the trek  
back to Nibelheim.  
  
Tifa looked at Nanaki for an answer as to what they where talking about. But trained also somewhat in the subject of Psychologie  
, Nanaki restrained from saying anything direct.  
  
"It is not Barret's saying that has troubled him. It is something else. You do know that   
I will not revealle anything without his consent , do you ?"  
  
Tifa nodded understanding. She went back to the gang and made up a story about what happened. The rest or the group talked  
the rest of the day and parted at dusk.  
  
  
***  
Vincent groomed his Chocobo before returning it to his stall. He was thinking about  
the different things he wanted to say to Nanaki but felt to tired to think about it any further. He returned to the Mansion , hanging  
his long red cape on a hook and then suddenly stared at his right good arm.  
  
He went to the bathroom wich had somewhat many articules remaining in the Sink. He had bought many different things just in  
cass such a thing happened but.. A sunburn? With what he wears ?! Vincent took one of the many tubes in the sink and carefully  
picked it up with his metal claw. He opened the lid and skeezed the cool white cream on his arm. Slowly and carefully he used  
his claw to rub the solution on his arm. The skin was peeling here and there , making Vincent worrying about it. He finnished the  
task and rubed some warm water on his claw to get rid of the oilly substance. He then took some of the warm liquide and  
splashed it in his face. The back of his eyes hurt and so did his head. Paying no further heed to his ailments he stepped in his  
black coffin and closed the lid.   
  
As it did . Vincent very easilly awakened at the dusk of the fourth day. Something was bothering him. It felt as if a hand was  
pulling him below the rib cage. It wasn't painful but it was nagging him. After eating ever so slightly , Vincent was aware that the  
normal stuff he usually ate had a bitter taste. Not paying anymore head to it , Vincent took Gaia out of the stables and headed for  
CosmoCanyon.   
  
The night felt cool and it refreashed Vincent as he road through the night. The stars filled the skies and the moon was going to be  
full in 2 or 3 days.   
Vincent let a smile play across his lips. Night was the only time of day that he felt he belonged to. The canyon was in his lign of  
view and so did the small village. He dismounted his stead and entered the village. One of the men guarding the entrance for  
monsters asked Vincent what he was doing here.  
  
"I have an appointed rendez-vous with *Elder* Nanaki as you would call him."  
  
"You can pass , we welcome you to Cosmo canyon ."  
Vincent was let pass the two men as he marched up the stairs to the old abservatory. Nanaki was waiting for him.  
  
"Thank you for coming ." Nanaki Smiled as he lay his notes on the table. How he could write them without any hands was  
beyound Vincent.   
  
"I have thought about the differences during this past year and have made a list to help you." Vincent handed the sheet of paper  
folded three times. As Nanaki read the list , his face lighted up as if struck by an Idea. His posture was making Vincent nervous.  
  
"Vincent. What have you been eating lately ?" Nanaki asked taking a sheet of paper out of a tray wich held many more. He put  
the paper and a pen he found near Vincent.  
  
Vincent took the piece of paper and the pen and started thinkng. Writing a couple of words and then stopping abrutly.   
"Now that I have thought about it. I haven't eaten that much and the things I usually eat taste bitter." Nanaki hummed a  
"MmmHmm." he then reached into the fridge and pulled out some stawberries.  
  
"These have been picked today. Tilimee , a sweet little girl I know , grows thems. How they can grow here is beyond me , but I  
would like you to tell me how they taste ."   
Nanaki layed the tray full of the berries on the table. Vincent took one with his good arm and took the green leaves out of the top.  
He then put half of the red fruit in his mouth and bit it. He abrutly closed his eyes and swallowed the mouthfull. After a slight  
pause and having cleared his throat Vincent replied.  
  
"It is fairly sour I would not recommend them for you to eat." He put the rest of the stawberrie on the table.  
  
"Changing tastes are you ?" Nanaki put the rest of the strawberries in the refrigirator.   
  
"Those strawberries in particular are the most sweat I have ever encountered. It seems that your anatomie is starting to change ,  
including taste buds.  
  
Nanaki had taken the pen and writin something on the piece of paper with his right paw. Strangely enough the pen was very well  
placed in the big paw and Nanaki had no difficulty writing with it.   
  
"Vincent do you undergo periodes of changes sometimes? Some discompforts in a regular basis and/or a wanting to travel at  
certain times ?"  
  
Vincent sat down crossing his legs , this was a regular question/answer session. He felt akward mostly when in these types of  
conversations. And he knew why The red cat asked him If he wanted to travel sometimes.....The jenova cells where part of the  
reason.  
  
"Sometimes I just wake up at night and feel very sick and I feel a pain under my chest. When checking my Chocobo Gaia once I  
got blinded very badly by the sun light. I also felt very agressive that night and didn't wan't to go to sleep until next Dawn. [...]"  
Vincent paused it had been a very long time since he had to remember things between periodes of dormancie and the actual fact  
that he wasn't used talking this much to anyone.   
  
" And I suddenly just wanted to travel without my Chocobo. I think it was last year near the end of Spring. I had had that strange  
feeling in my stomach the few last days and ..well I think I made a trip to Rocket Town ."  
  
Nanaki listen intently. Listening was something he liked to do very often. Listening to stories, Listening to the planet at the  
obsorbatory and sometimes he would visit his Father Seto (now a statue) and just listen to the wind. Presently bits and pieces  
where being put together , the more he asked and the more the answers where clearing the state of the matter. Only one thinged  
remained before he would be trully sure.  
  
"Vincent ? I will need a blood sample. I have a pretty good Idea what's going on but I need to be trully shure."   
  
The cat stood up and got a little pack of something in a drawer. he also picked up a bottle of antiseptic and a tube with a seringue.  
Weather he was a big cat of a big wolf , Nanaki was picking things up as easilly as a human would have done . Although he  
lacked the nimbleness of finguers , Nanaki was skilled with most of the Doctorial material that was in the laboratory. He asked  
Vincent to open the blue pack that he left on the table.  
  
Vincent tore open the top of the plastic slip and when he peered inside he caught sight of a needle and a seringue. He abrutly  
threw the pack off the table. memories flooded Him.   
  
An internal turmoil plagued Vincent as he looked at a distant object in trans. Nanaki had turned abrutly and had evidently realized  
his mistake. The needle and seringue reminded Vincent of the experiments that where perfomred on him. No doubt they had  
made Vincent Paranoide. He quickly stoped what he was doing and compforted him.  
  
"Don't worry Vincent. I won't hurt you. I'm your friend remember ? Not all needles are meant to hurt Vincent These are going to  
help me understand you and help you find your answers about your illness ." Nanaki tried to snap out Vincent out of his trans  
and did so when he gave his good hand a quick slap.   
  
Snaping out of it , Vincent remembered another way to take blood samples that wouldn't requier a needle. Vincent ashured  
Nanaki that he was allright and took a moment's pause to recover from the painfull memory.  
  
"Nanaki their is a small opening at the base of my elbo near the junction of my metal limb. It opens when you put a tube in it."   
  
Vincent pushed aside two metal junctiors to expose the small hole opening between the wires. The cat seemed to smile and gave  
the end of a tube while placing the other in a seringue. Theex-Turk pushed the end tube in the opening and felt the warm liquide  
ooze through the opening.  
  
Vincent looked elsewhere , the experience resembled to another which he knew well and still had nightmares about. After the  
seringue had 2 thirds finsished Nanaki pulled the tube out and held the end high so that the last remaining blood met the glass  
container.  
  
"I'll meet you at Cloud's weading. By then I will have finnished the test." Nanaki put the sample in the centrefuge and turned it  
on. As it started spinning Vincent put the folds back of his metal protrusion. Vincent nodded understanding.  
  
"Will you come to tell me the fixed date. I feel I won't be rising from my sleep for a long time. We could talk about it when you  
wake me up." He stood back up and thanked Nanaki for his time.  
  
After having said his goodbyes Vincent passed the guards in the entrance of the small village and felt the feeling again. A tight  
prickly feeling under his rib cage had formed and he found himself staring at one of the men. He shaked his head to shrug the  
feeling off andgot on his chocobo. Both of them made their way back to Nibelheime. As he road on his faitful stead , the  
Chocobo's normal up and down motion was making the feeling worse , it felt like prickly electricity this time , running from the  
usual spot up his spine and back again.   
***  
Vincent closed his eyes but could not find sleep it took him a couple of hours to get sleepy. After getting fed up with waiting for  
sleep to come to him , Vincent got out of the black malet and went to the bathroom and warmed his face. He still couldn't get  
sleepy. He looked back at the mirror and noticed the window behind him. Dawn was starting it's climb up the sky and Vincent  
instintly became aware that he was fatigued.  
  
  
Vincent could not pay further thoughts about it as he staguered to the basement. Barelly managing to climb inside the coffin and  
closing the lid , as he sliped into a dreamless sleep.  
  
  
Vincent awoke at the sound of a loud rasping on the lid of his coffin. He slowly drifted back to reality trying to escape the claws  
of sleep.  
  
"Helllooooo! Anybody in there ? Waky waky." The voice of the elder cat had starteled him as another loud rasp knocked him  
fully awake. He wondered If he was scratching hard enough to rip the paint off the cover. At the idea Vincent replied.  
  
"O.k o.k I'm up already! Just please don't damage the painting job any further!"  
Vincent painstakenly oppened the cover. Wishing his eyes would stop hurting.  
  
"Got the results. Wan't to hear about thems ? " Nanaki lend a helping hand to get Vincent out of the mallet. He felt wabylish as  
he followed Nanaki up the spiraling stair cass.  
  
"I brought something that you might like . " Nanaki opened a plastic container. Inside where rare pieces of meat. "I asked for  
these at the nearby resteraunt thinking you might be hungry after sleeping for 20days."   
He pushed the container to Vincent who immediatly picked up on of the bits and started eating thems. They weren't that hot and  
they where as close to raw as Nanaki could get thems not making Vincent look like an animal.  
  
"Had it been a month already ? What are the results ? " Vincent finnished his last stip of meat.  
  
"Well...As I suspected. Your body hasn't stoped changing since Hojo tinckered with it. Yes your body has stopped ageing but  
not changing. Your cellular structure kept though. The first thing you must have noticed when you body had changed was you  
eye colour right? The growth was slowed down when you where in dormancie but kept changing you. Now your hair color is  
now raven black , you can see better in the dark then a person in daylight ,  
your 5 sences are sharpened way beyound a normal humans'.Your white cells are much more advanced and multiply faster then  
anything I've ever seen! But the real reason you're feeling drowzee these days is because your routines are changing.You're  
getting used to the the hours of the animal wich is most present in your blood structure! The Vampire Bat !"   
  
Nanaki paused. Though Vincent had had little experience in the field of Science he had had many years of to read about it , so  
most of what RedXIII (Also known as Nanaki) said had been understood.   
  
"Is their something to worry about in this casse ? What would be the possible worst senario?"   
Vincent asked hastefully panicked by the Idea that he may be turning into a creature. The cat was silent for a few minute striving  
to think if he should tell him or not. Maybe the truth would hasten the rapidly growing problem.  
  
"I..I'm not shure how Mutagenics work. I would have to do a great amount of research before I am qualified to look at such a  
casse." RedXIII Paused .   
  
"I..The worst cass would be for you to...take some physical aspects of the Bat."  
  
"You mean ?...I will start changing ? That not only will I be acting mostly like a bat but I will start looking like one !? I'm turning  
into a real biological Vampire !!?   
As Nanaki had thought Vincent wasn't picking this up lightly. He had delt with people looking at him , his claw , his eyes and the  
paleness of his skin , but he wouldn't dare come out anymore if he knew he could endanger the lives around him.   
  
"Vincent! Hey Vincent calm down ! For all I know panicking will probably speed up the process !"   
  
Vincent calmed down , taking huge and loud raspy breaths he felt *it* pulling down under his rib cage like a jolt in electricity.  
  
"I..I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted like that. It's just...I've known that everybody thinks of me as a monster. It... I couldn't bare  
with the Idea of actually resembling one ." Vincent fell silent.   
Nanaki nodded and explained where the weading would be planned.  
  
"I've awaken you a day early. We've got some traveling to do. The weading is planned to Costa del sol. It will be held on the  
beach near dawn."  
  
The Ex-Trurk (or for whatever time remained for him until he could be called otherwize) disided to confine soemthing personally  
bothering.  
  
"Nanaki...I've also failed to mension something of importance. Sometimes during periodes of changing I get a feeling , a prickly  
feeling just under my rib cage. Sometimes it can be quite painful."  
  
"Let's not discuss this further , we have quite some bit of travelling to do my friend. You just tell me when this happens and i'll try  
and look for the cause of it   
hmmm ?"   
  
RedXIII said in a nonshalant voice . He smiled (or what seemed to be a smile for him.) Vincent nodded and started packing some  
supplies. He bought greens for Gaia and asked Nanaki if he would be mounting the Chocobo (because of Gaias seeming  
distress at the sight of the HUGE cat.) Nanaki had laughed and said he could run steadilly and for great periodes of fatigure. He  
also stated that if ever should he grow tiered he would tell him.


	2. The answer is in Blood Chap2: Instincts ...

Nanaki put all of his stuff back on the chocobo and they arrived before darkness envelloped the sky.  
  
***  
At the villa Yuffi and the others where putting out their sleeping bags and preparing to hit the Zzzs. Nanaki slept on some pillows  
as always and Vincent lay awake. Not able to sleep he shut his eyes and thought about what Nanaki had said about his mutation.  
  
  
  
***  
"Hey ! Vincent!? Wake up..." Someone pushed Vincent's elbow.  
Vincent slowly opened his eyes and squinting in the light he saw Reeve. Instintly he stood up. Already in his clothes he hadn't  
bothered to put any night garments.  
"Reeve what are you doing here ?" Vincent snapped unacostumed to having an Ex-Shinra employee instead of Cait Sith.  
  
"Relax Mr.Valentine I wanted to be here in person that's all , i mean I think people would be insulted if I came here as a my Big  
stuffed mog with a cat on top prototype robot ."  
  
Vincent imediatly calmed down and apologiesed.  
  
"Have you seen Nanaki ? I thought he would be the one to wake me up ." Vincent turned around surching for his taby friend.  
  
"He told me to wake you up . you see it's 11o'clock the wedding is about to start. You where sleeping and Nanaki told us to give  
you a little more time and to wake you up later." Reeve replied nervously. He picked up his black tuxe and headed down the  
corridor with Vincent following.   
  
***  
After putting his coat on and arranging his tie Vincent looked like he did back then when he was a He thought , and washed his  
*hand* in the men's room and then proceeded to the door and headed for the reception. Some close friends and familly  
where gathering while the groom was talking to his best man: Cid , who was swearing very loadly while throwing complements.  
After everyone was ready , the actual weading began.  
  
Tifa was very beautiful in her white dress. A very long ribon was place in the back and it's lengths streaming down. The flower  
girl was none other than the sweat Marlene at the age of about 7 and a half. Yuffie was the maid of honneur , wearing a seafoam  
aqua coloured dress that reached down to the floor. It was a Kimono like dress with different Kanji inscibed on it wishing new  
couples good luck.  
  
***  
After the actual weading , gifts where exchanged. Cid had given a beautiful big gold chocobo to the new couple because the other  
one ran away. Barret had given them a ticket to pick up a kitchen set that he helped forge with emblams of the FFVII legacy  
(With the planet and the moon and stuff) Yuffie gave a masumane sword (a very long one) to Cloud and a beautiful white lether  
glove to Tifa.  
Both had dragons on them. These where their decorative , main wepons.   
Nanaki advanced and gave his gift : the white materia he had found. Cloud and Tifa where absoltuly ravished.  
  
"OOOOooo Materiaaaaaaa."Yuffie's eyes sparkled with mischieouf. Everyone shook their heads.  
  
Vincent quietly advance to give his gift. He handed it to Tifa. He put in in the palm of her hand and closed it. When Tifa opened  
it she saw a beautiful necklass . It's chains of Gold , in the middle was a ruby being held by a fiery amber sculped bird.   
  
"A phoenix necklace !?" Cloud looked puzzled these where very rare to come buy. The scultpured amber bird had something  
inside it. Cloud touched it.  
  
"What's inside the amber ?" He looked at it and showed everyone what he meant.  
  
"It is an actual Phoenix feather. When I was younger I had found the feather and with all of my earnings I had crafted this  
necklass for Lucrecia." ....He paused  
"She refused it. I wish you to keep it and pass it to your child at a later age."  
  
"I..." Cloud was speachless Tifa had tears in her eyes.  
  
"We can't except this , it's a reminder of you love." Tifa babbled as she took the necklace from Cloud and placed it into his  
clawed hand.  
  
Vincent looked into her eyes and slowly replied  
"Nothing would make me happier..." He took the necklace and put it around Tifa's neck.   
"Then to see you wearing a necklace that I had helped crafted myself. It will make a great heirloom." He paused raising Tifa's  
head and whipping her tears.   
  
"You will always carry a part of me with you. I will probably never see you again after this.Best wishes to you and Cloud."   
  
Vincent abrutly left the room.  
  
Tifa was startled when she heard him say that. Tifa started walking towards where Vincent had left but Nanaki had run past her.  
  
***  
  
"VINCENT ! Why did you ? ...."  
  
  
Vincent abrutly stoped and kneeled on the ground. He immediatly clutched his abdomen and winced in pain. He could feal  
something very *Very* wrong happening. He opend his mouth agape but no sound came out of it his vocal cords they where  
paralysed , or was it ?  
  
Nanaki heard a very High pitched scream. It hurt his ears and he covered them.  
  
"VINCENT What is ? ... Are you starting to ? Nanaki yelped he quickly went to get the others when Vincent nodded. Tifa had  
already followed them and her mouth was agape. RedXIII pushed her to get some sence out of her. She looked at the red fured  
cat.  
And asked what was going on.  
  
"No time to explaine we have to mobolize him , I'll go get the others , try calming him and reashuring him but be careful. "  
RedXIII Didn't say any more as he dashed to crash the party.  
  
"I hate to be a party pooper but We've got problems !" Cid had been so surprised when Nanaki had boped him that he had spit  
up the whine in his mouth.  
  
"What the !@*$$%? What's the B***pin wrong ?" Cid turned around and looked down at The cat.  
  
"It's Vincent. I can't explain it all now but we've got to help him. Someone get 2 big sticks a sheet and some rope!" Yuffie  
immediatly replied without questions. she had looked around the villa and found one of Aerisi's old staffs and one of Cid's pole  
arms.  
  
"Arggh! Not my Scimitar !" Cid whined as Red put the big piece of cloth that was the table nap and punctured holes in it passing  
the pole arms into the holes he made. he then passed the rop onder and attached them to the poles. He had created a streacher.  
  
"Shouldn't someone call an ambulance if he's going to be put in a strecher ?" Yuffie asked.  
  
"No hospital would know what to do with this cass. They couldn't possibly contain him afterwards. RedxIII placed the strecher  
on his back and immediatly ran towards where Tifa and Vincent where.  
  
  
  
***  
  
"Vincent ?" Tifa started. She waited for an answer. She was replied by a slight grown. " Are you ... Are you sick ? Your clutching  
your stomach do you wan't me to pat you back she streched her hands to do so but Vincent shuved her hands with a mettalic claw  
and fell on his left side. his metal claw sprawled over his head. He griped his hair and pulled on it. His eyes burned trimendisly.  
  
"Go...GO Away !!!" He yelled at her. She was startled but as soon as he had said so. Nanaki arrived with the streacher and the  
hole gang behind him. He could hear everything from the footsteps to the simple rufles of hair against material. He turned his  
head to face the noise.  
  
"BY LEVIANTH ! Yuffie shrieked , Tifa fell back. Everyone had consern in their eyes as Vincent gasped for air. Every heave he  
made showed a pair of protruding fangs. He bit his lower lip as Nanaki advanced. When The big cat was at about 4 feet from  
Vincent's form He tilted his head back and showed his teeth.  
  
Nanaki stoped. It was a sign of agression in most animals to show their teeths. Vincent backed away still holding the right side of  
his stomach. He stood up and looked at everyone. He then blinked once and turned away running.   
  
"Hey ! Catch him ." Nanaki yelled but as Cid lunged forward and jumped , Vincent leaped in the air jumping over Cid and  
winning his freedom fairly easilly , he turned a corner of the city and was gone.  
  
Nanaki cursed. (It was one of the few times he had ever done so.)  
  
***  
"Mind tell'n uss what was dat all about ?" Barret asked majourly pissed out. The hole weading party had beern reuined and he  
wasn't very happy about it.  
  
"I am sorry but I had told Vincent I wouldn't talk about this if it didn't get out of hand. Well I might as well tell you about it now  
since it has."   
  
He paused thinking of how he would explain all of this.  
  
"A couple of days ago Vincent had come to see me about something. I had analysed him and have noticed that his cellular  
structure is irregularly unstable."  
  
"Meaning ?" Asked Barret.  
  
"His blood structure or D.N.A is changing. " Shera put in simple terms.  
  
"Exactly . I've compared it with the different mutations he transforms into when in battle. The Chaos mutation is starting to  
dominate his D.N.A structure. In a couple of days Vincent won't be Vincent anymore."  
  
"You mean ?..." Tifa started. She looked very conserned.  
  
"Yes he'll be a Vampire. Strength , sences and agility well beyound that of any humans. That's what Hojo had planned for him in  
the start but Vincent's body prooved to be very resilient."  
  
"Any Idea where he might be heading ?" Cloud asked holding Tifa to calm her nerves.  
  
"None whatsoever , but he'll want to be in a damp dark place when he transforms. Already , daylight is hurting him."  
  
"Great so we have a Freecking Vampire roaming around. An X -TURK! VAMPIRE at that !" Yuffie babbled.  
  
"Well we could just stay here and sit on our @$$es all day or we could search every cave here on this !@#$@continent to find  
him." Cid smuthered his Cigar. He immiedietly stood up and went outside to get the Highwing.  
  
"You could make good use of that Chocobo I gave you!" Cid closed the door.  
  
"Well I'm not going to go in the Highwing! I'm better off with the Chocobo." Yuffie muttered at the idea of flying on the airship  
again.  
  
"I'll get some of my prototype machines to go look for him. If they spot anything then I'll contact you guys on the Phs." Reeve  
said.  
  
"I know the basic places he'd go and what he's going through so I'm going with Cid. Tifa you should stay here we wouldn't want  
you to be hurt or the baby you're carying ." Nanaki replied ,Tifa nodded in disapointmeant Cloud compforted her.   
  
"I'll go with Yuffie on The Chocobo and Barret could go with you guys." Cloud said taking a chocobo bridle from one of the  
closets in the Villa.  
  
"Amen to that!" Yuffie cheared. " Where should we go first ?"  
  
"How about Lucrecia's fall ?" Cloud said walking outside.  
  
"We'll Check the secret caves where we got those special types of materia" Nanaki stated he made a motion to Barret to come  
with him.  
  
"Dady can I go to ?" Marlene asked. Barret looked at Nanaki who then looked at Marlene and smiled.  
  
"No you cannot , it might be dangerous. You stay with Tifa and maybe you could help her clean up Hmm?" RedXIII Asked wih  
a smooth tone of voice.   
  
Marlene smiled. She like the Big Cat especially because he could talk. She liked playing with his tail too. Though it glowed red  
and looked on fire it was actually not that warm and was very funny to the touch. Nanaki also babysat for her from time to time.  
  
"Are you guys comming or what we don't have The !@#$% Day to wait you know."  
  
"Mind your language Cid. Marlene is here !" Nanaki yelled at Cid.  
  
***  
2 days later.  
  
"O.K we've surched the hole intire fricking western hemasphear for damp dark places but we haven't found one where Vincent  
might have been !" Cid explained to the group.  
  
"We've surched all over the Estern continent but we haven't found anything eather." Cloud Reeve and Yuffie explained where  
they had surched.  
  
"I have abolutly no idea as to where he could have hid that we didn't look." RedXIII sighed.  
  
"Do you think the mister's going to be very hungry now ?" Marlene inosently said.  
  
"..." They all paused "Of Course that's what we've been missing. Since his structures' changing he'll need alot of Proteines ,  
carbohydrates and Calcium to substaine his new forme."  
  
"Say what?" Barret replied dumbfounded.  
  
"Food ! He will need to eat alot! If Vincent's going to substaine Wings and such , he'll needs lots of nourishments to do so. If we  
could find a good spot and lay a suffcient amount of food where he might be , it would be tempting enough for his instincts to  
make him come .... Even if he is a genious in combat. I happen to now.... Nanaki trailled off.   
  
"Where would we ACTUALLY put it Red ? I mean we have absolutly no idea where he could be!" Yuffie speaked her mind as  
she watched the Tev.  
  
"That I have no clue." RedXIII poundered.  
  
We interupt this broadcast to bring you alarming news. A beast has been ravaging the town of Gongaga these past few hours.   
  
"Umm....guys!" Yuffie called out. Everyone neared the Tv.  
  
"Cosmo Canyon ! Nanaki yelled. He rushed outwards picked up a travelling pack and ran towards the Highwing. Cid (getting  
the Idea) ran towards him to. Everyone did the same except Yuffie , Tifa and Cloud who really didn't like hights.  
  
***  
  
Vincent though to himself as he looked toward Cosmo canyon. Vincent turned facing Gongaga. Vincent walked toward the other  
way changing his direction.   
  
*** 2 days later***  
  
"What do you mean he isn't there !?" Cloud shouted on the Phs .  
'''I mean he isn't here he didn't come , if he did he would of been here a day ago !''' Nanaki paused  
"If he wasn't planning on going to Cosmo Canyon maybe he change directions ?"  
Cloud proposed  
'''Maybe..but I'll stay here for a while you keep watching the news for some clue on where he might be.  
  
  
***  
Nightfall Costadel sol  
  
A silent figure jumped from rooftop to rooftop not even disturbing the population sleeping under them. He stoped abrutly on one  
of them , listening to the snorring of very familiar people to him. He slowly walked on the top of the small villa and wen't to listen  
near another window. It could hear the breathing of a small girl. He put his back on the ceiling clenched the edge of the roof  
swinging through the open window.  
  
It's red eyes played across the figure of the small girl.   
He sighed then pased through the doorway that led to the inner rooms of the small house. He smelled the interior , dellected with  
the odor that emanated from one particular room. It limped slightly when he walked buteven when doing do , he did not utter any  
noise. He clenched the handle of the white box thing with his metal claw almost afraid to open it. He opened the door and their  
where all sorts of food. Pausing as if slightly in shock. Food , It was hungry. The beast forgot about not making any noise when  
It ate , until he heard shuffles from the other rooms.  
  
It immedietly took some of the condiments from the fridge put it in his cape and jumped towards the top of the door.   
  
  
From his upside down purch on the ceiling he could see Cloud's look of distress seeing the opened fridge.It silently climbed it's  
way to the living room and opened one of it's windows , he landed on the ground without even a noise and jumped out of the  
window to the ground. Only mistake , his claw got cought on the window sills and a very loud "RIIIIP" was heard.  
  
"What was that !?" Tifa yelled from her room and Cloud ran towards the Living room and saw the window sills flapping in the  
wind , half of it was gone or....He looked throuh the window and saw the rest on the top of the roof. He climbed out the window  
and Tifa entered the Living room.  
  
"Don't worry I'm just going to check it out."   
  
He climbed on the top of the ceiling and looked around...nothing ...he then looked behind him and their he faced a black figure ,  
facing him. Not even frighten of what Cloud would do to it. It was very tall it's boots where taken off and it had clawes instead of  
a humans' feet. It's hand was also sharply clawed but the other...was golden  
  
"Vincent !" Cloud yelled but Vincent took a step back and fell , he didn't seem like he wanted to run away...then Why?  
  
"Yaaaaaaa!" A hi pitched scream.  
  
"MARLENE !" Cloud yelled , Tifa screamed. Vincent had jumped off the roof clinged to the edge and gone through the way he  
came in. He now had Marlene as hostage for safe passage.  
  
Cloud climbed down into the living room again getting the golden sword Yuffie gave him from the decorative poles he had placed  
it on. Yuffie had called it The Dragon's Sword. But he was to late , Vincent had already gotten in and then out of the House. Not  
even letting a trace of his passage exept for the empty bed in the room he was before. Tifa cried on Cloud's chest Dreading what  
Vincent would do to her.


	3. The answer is in Blood Chap: Changes to ...

***  
  
"Calm down little girl I cannot carry you if you incessintly squirming in my arms !" Vincent scolded. Marlene cried even more.  
He was halfway to his resting place. Morning would come shortly and he had to hurry.  
  
"What are you going to do with me you monster ! You're going to eat me ! I wan't my dady ! " She cried even louder.The thing  
who was carying her with it's metalic claw , placed her on the ground near a small cave.  
  
"If you won't stop crying then I'll shurly have to eat you to shut you up !"   
He showed her his Fangs and she immedietly stoped crying exept for small hicups and sobs.   
  
" Ahh.. That is much better..."   
  
  
It took the remaining food that he had put in his cape on the floor of the cave they had entered. Marlene hadn't any choice but to  
follow him since he could persue and catch her easilly. He put aside some of the food and gobled up the rest very quickly.  
  
"This will be your share , I will have to go hunt tonight and what I catch , you eat or you won't eat anything." The monster had a  
very raspy voice. Marlene though that it was kinda familiar though it's characteristics where not. She hadn't seen it's face and  
body very well since it was night. The only thing she could see was it's fangs , eyes and the outline of it's body.  
  
"Why did you take me away from dady if you don't wan't to eat me ?" Marlene asked sitting as far away at the strange shadow as  
possible.  
  
"With you gone , they think I've killed you and eaten you...it suits my plans..." He refuse to give her any other information.   
  
"What's your name mister?" Marlene asked the eyes of the beast looked at her strangely.  
  
"I am no mister." It replied coldly as it continued eating it's prized goods. Dawn came quickly and it blocked the passage to the  
outside with a door made of wood. he climbed up some rocks and tied two of the endings to some hooks it had made from  
something. Only a small square of light shone through the makedoo thing.  
Marlene watched as the thing curled up in a corner and as her eyes grew acostumed to the darkness she looked at it's form. She  
gasped in surprise as she realized what it actually was...  
"Uncle Vincent ?" Vincent slightly groaned at his name but other wise did not arrise from his slumber.  
  
***  
"Waky waky !"   
"Hmm?" Marlene opened her eyes to see Vincent's crimson ones shining in the dark. She was startled but then calmed down.  
"I've brought you some food for these next couple of days. And enough salt to last someone a life time." Vincent opened the flap  
of hiscape. He had tied it so that it's product wouldn't spill. out of it came at least acouple of dozen pounds of salt.  
  
"What are you going to do with all that salt Uncle Vincent ?"  
  
He smiled "It's to preserve this mea...." he froze "what did you call me ?" He looked at Marlene who scrunched in a corner as if  
she had said something wrong.  
  
"Uncle Vincent ?" She replied with a faint tone.  
Vincent looked at her one eye more so opened then the other. he then turned to his prize and replied.  
"I am not your uncle." And he continued to shuffle , his back turned to Marlene.  
"Well shure you are ! Dady even told you , because Dady doesn't have a brother of Sister and Momy died , he told you that  
you're my Uncle Vincent ! And you said 'yes' and.." She was cut abrutly when he jerked her violently on the wall and faced her.  
  
"Do you think that just because you're a little girl means I'm not going to hurt you !? Do you think that because I had some kind  
of feelings for you in the past , means you're safe with me ? Well guess what little girl ? Vincent isn't here anymore ! Because  
Vincent wouldn't have claws for feet and hands and fangs instead of canines and he wouldn't kill anyone for NOTHING !"   
  
Vincent stoped then sagged away to what he was doing earlier. Marlene still leaning on the wall and staring to where Vincent had  
been yelling to her revised all that Vincent told her.  
  
"Does that mean...?" She hoped not.  
  
"Yep" he said in a child nonchalant voice "You guessed it. I'm the one who killed all those people in Gongaga." He jerked  
something but was still facing his back to Marlene so she couldn't see.  
  
"B ..bu...but why ?" Marlene babled she sat on the ground.  
  
"Because I was hungry." Vincent stated coldly. He finnished what he was doing and then opened the wodden door again.  
  
"If you wan't to look at what I was doing then go ahead...I'm warning you though , you won't like it." Knowing the curiousity of  
kids Vincent left the cave and wen't to look for something.   
  
Marlene (obviously!) was very curious with what Vincent hadsaid. Like other children she leaned in to look at what he was  
doing. Only to be revolted and she jurked bnackwards. He had killed an animal and gutted it ! it was still halfly inclompleted  
though and the innerds still hang out. She faced the other way and started to silently cried.  
  
***  
Vincent opened the wodden door with a bunch of dry sticks startling Marlene from her sleep.  
  
"Better get used to sleeping the day and staying awake at night because I'm not going to work silently."  
  
He opened the wooden door and put it at the side of the cave. Pilling the wood between the entrance of the cave and the rocky  
door he lit it with something that Marlene couldn't quiete make out.  
  
He hummed the air intently sniffing it very solemnly.   
  
"We will have to move soon..." He positioned a Rock near the fire and sliced a piece of meat and it placed on the *know* heated  
rock.  
  
"Why ?" Marlene asked.  
"Because... I said so..." Vincent said calmly.  
"Why ?" She asked again.  
"This cave belonged to Kalm wolves they'll be coming back here soon." Vincent coffed a bit when the smoke flaped in his face.  
"Why would they come back if they abandonned it ?" She took the slabs of food Vincent gave her in a hurry.  
"Because they need it for something else." Vincent proceeded eating too.  
"For what ?"  
"WILL YOU STOP ASKING AND EAT FOR GODS SAKE !" He paused Marlene starteled stoped eating.  
"Or do you wan't me to explain you the hôle process of Migration and reproduction of the Kalm wolves and such !?" He started  
to calm down. Taking deep breathes.  
  
Marlene shook her head and started at him a moment waiting till he continued to eat until she did so herself.  
  
Vincent glared at her from time to time , but didn't seem much interested in hurting her. To Marlene's total and otter releif. He  
suddenly grew more animated and seemed to sniff the air.  
  
"What are you doing ?"  
  
He looked at her a while and ignored her , still procupied with sniffing an eating. After most of the food he had brought was gone  
he started to pick some big strips of leefs he had dragged with the corp and lay them on the ground , he also picked up the fur of  
the slaughtered meal and ran astone along it's inside to scrape off some bloody slabs.   
He layed it out to dry then did something out of Marlene's curious site. He seemed to be pushing something away , it must be  
very heavy for him because he was breathing very loudly , after he had placed it where he'd wanted he sighed a bit. But she  
couldn't say for shure if it was really that he was actually doing....  
  
"What did you do ?" She asked after he'd layed his back to the wall and stared to the fire blankly.  
  
He turned his head to her his eyes a hint angry or maybe just annoyed.  
"You'll know that , in time..." He simply said.   
  
She realized that her uncle's new features where more changed now. His ears where pointy like an elf's but a couple of spiked  
srands where on one of the rims of his ears. His eye colour was glowing eerily. She shivered slightly. He probably caught her  
fear because he giggled slightly.  
After the fur had been sufficiently dried he pitched it towards Marlene. A fur blanket. He had niftilly crafted one for her ?  
  
"Thank you ." She smiled and rapped herself with it. Dawn was near and she could see Vincent was getting pretty tierd. She was  
too but had forced herself awake all night because of him. Now they both fell asleep and the crackling fire burned and died  
steadilly through the day.  
  
***  
  
Marlene woke up at the sound of Growling. She looked at the bamboo door and saw at the bottom pairs of wolfpaws scratching  
at it. She stiffled a cry of fright and found Vincent in a cronere of the cave , still sleeping. It was sunset but he hadn't woken up  
yet.  
  
"Uncle Vincent Uncle Vincent wake up !" She pushed him a little and he moaned.   
  
The kalm wolves where bitting and clawing the door. It wouldn't hold out more then a couple of minutes if they continued. Sme  
of the paws where already sticking out of holed they had made.  
  
"Vincent please wake up !" She pushed him again and Jerked back when he planted a golden claw into the ground , on the same  
spot she had been standing before. He had almost kiled her.  
  
THe Kalm wolves barked and howled and Marlene cried. The golden hand dug out from the ground and propped Vincent into a  
sitting position. His eyes where totally rd this time. No white , just red. He looked druppy eyed and pale but other wize awake.  
He looked at Marlene and looked towards the wooden door which just now looked like it was about to collapse and he....yawned  
?  
  
Marlene looked baffled as Vincent lazilly stood up and went to the door. The Kalm wolves heard him come and barked. He  
opened the door quickly and raised his Golden hand , he cast a Fire lvl 3 spell from nowhere and crisped wolves in the front. The  
other wolves rushed up to pounce on him but he clawed at them so fast , Marlene could only see a blurr of his golden claw , and  
the remainder of the wolves fell dead on the ground in a pile of their own blood. The sun wasn't interilly set and Vincent closed  
the remainer of the wooden door and paced back to his corner of his cave and crumbled back onto his sleeping place.  
  
Marlene stared dumbfounded at Vincent and collected her thoughts. Their had been at least 20 Kalm wolves and Vincent literally  
defeate them single handedly with ease. She nervously sat in another corner of the cave eying Vincent nervously , having just  
beheld his true strength.  
  
***  
  
Night  
  
Vincent dragged the bloody corpses of 6 heavy Kalm wolves , most of them binded by the foot with a thick root rope , the little  
girl was ordered to drag a small one also. They left a trail of blood. And durring their walk Marlene cried silently. Every so often  
Vincent would leave one of the corpses behind making shure the bloody trail was very visible.  
  
After a very tiering Walk and after dumping all but Marlene's small Kalm wolf . Vincent found a small forest that would provide  
good coveredge for them during the day. HE picked the kalm wolf easilly and placed it on a big rock. He started gutting it with  
his golden claw and throwing the innerds out from the forest. Marlene turned her gaze , but noticed that he seemed to be leaving a  
trail of somekind. He built a fire and they ate the coarse but comestible mealmade from the meat of the kalm wolf. Vincent ate  
hungrilly but Marlene looked repulsivly at her share.  
  
Their are berries in the woods that look like these. Vincent held out his right hand and showed a bundle of black and red  
Rasberry lookig things.   
  
"Their are many around our camp you may pick them , but make shure you are within my sight."  
  
Marlene took the berries carefully out of the purple redish inhumain claw and went to the bushes next to him , she ate them  
hungrilly .   
  
****  
  
"That no good !#%@#! Bastard ! I'll kill him !" Barrete stomped around the Villa , pausing then and again around the room  
Marlene had been kidnapped from. The man seemed near Tears.  
  
Cloud and TIfas wedding had been cancelled , every one gathered at the villa to talk. Yuffie seemed more or less shocked. Tifa  
was in tears. Cloud tried to confort her. No wonder she felt more sadness then anyone else by this situation. Tifa had become the  
unofficial mother for Marlene and she felt like her child had just been killed.  
  
"Calm down Barret ! We don't know if he's killed Marlene !" Red XIII Tried to stop Barret's shouting , but just started to get him  
more mad.  
  
"You saw what the freak did to Gongaga , their where 4 year olds in that pile of dead corpsees , he wouldn't hesitate to kill her the  
!#?%# !!"  
  
TIfa cried harder.  
  
"Please calm down Barret or I'll have to ask you to leave , and we will decide on how to track him without you." Cloud held Tifa  
in his arms and hugged her more.  
  
Barret Cursed some more and sat down deeply breathing. Yuffie had little tears in her eyes. Cloud had suspected that Yuffie had  
had a crush on the X-Turk. The young Shinobi must of admired how Vincents' stealth could be undetected , even sometimes by  
her.  
  
Nanaki broke his thoughts. " If he would of killed Marlene he would of done so to Cloud and Tifa as well. The insident in  
Gongaga tells us alot.


End file.
